Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week on court.

This week, electronic line calling once again caused chaos on clay, a strange Madrid Open provided winning memories, and the wearable tech arms race evolved.

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Did arguments over electronic line calling actually represent a step forward?

The electronic line calling (ELC) system is the letter of the law across top-tier tennis these days, but that didn’t stop an old stalwart of clay-court season from cropping up at the Madrid Open: Players arguing with umpires over ball marks.

Alexander Zverev, Mirra Andreeva and Elena Rybakina all asked a chair umpire to come down and check a physical ball mark they believed to prove a ball landed out, which the ELC system had called in.

Umpires declined to check the traces each time.

“This is a joke. The system is wrong, this is not a joke. There is no such mark which is shown on the TV,” Rybakina said, imploring umpire Julie Kjendlie to come down from her chair during her second-round match against Zheng Qinwen.

“That’s what I have to go with. Now that we have live ELC, that’s what we have to go with,” Kjendlie said.

Since ELC was widely adopted at clay events on the ATP Tour and WTA Tour last year, players have been educated on the fact that ball marks on the surface can be deceiving. The tours collaborated on a video explaining the discrepancies between the system it uses and the ball marks on the surface, which have been reiterated in other communication channels.

Clay is affected by environmental conditions, as well as how much red brick dust happens to be on a certain part of the court at a certain time, and those conditions change from point to point as players slide and move on the court. A ball that lands in can leave a mark outside of the line; a ball that lands out can leave a mark that appears as if it has caught.

It was Andreeva’s disagreement that was most illuminating: “I understand that you cannot overrule. But as players, what do we do?” she asked chair umpire Kader Nouni.

The players are still learning to trust the electronic system, after being told last year that the way they’ve been calling balls on clay their entire lives no longer applies. There is also the possibility that players know the system is correct but sometimes, in the heat of competition, feel that the best course of action feels like starting an argument with the umpire.

There are other things the sport could do, for fans too. Broadcasters explain the system infrequently and commentators sometimes appear caught out during confrontations, while the top-down replays used during matches arguably make the situation worse. They reproduce the perspective of the confused player looking down at the court, not the system checking whether or not the ball has made contact with the line.

What instances like Zverev, Andreeva and Rybakina’s also prove is how counterproductive the French Open’s decision to eschew ELC and continue using the physical traces of the ball is.

The tours have asked players to shift their mindsets about ball marks on clay, while the French Open, the only Grand Slam that hasn’t adopted the electronic system, asks them to revert for a few weeks every year.

That’s not good for a system that requires some amount of buy-in on clay, and it complicates things for viewers. The French Open is muddy enough already without it.

— Ava Wallace

How did a funky tournament provide some winning memories?

For those sweating at the thought of a French Open without Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s rivalry to ballast the men’s draw, the Madrid Open provided a delightful counterargument.

Between withdrawals from 23 players — including Alcaraz’s, who announced his clay court season is over due to a wrist injury — a viral stomach bug and a slew of early round upsets of top player, this tournament should have been a mess.

But the tennis prevailed. When I think of the 2026 Madrid Open, I’ll think of Hailey Baptiste, first executing in a fourth-round win against Belinda Bencic perhaps the most artful racket smash I’ve ever seen, then playing the match of her life to defeat Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.

Baptiste is no newbie on tour, but the first sustained look at her prowess on clay came during a tantalizing run to the fourth round of the French Open last year. She made good on that promise against the world No. 1 in Madrid, unloading her abundant toolkit and playing the kind of courageous tennis that made it hard to stay seated on the couch while watching at home.

There was more from players ranked outside of the top 10: Frenchman Arthur Fils rattled off an impressive run to the semifinals, meaning the worst he’s done in his first four tournaments after returning from a stress fracture in his lower back is the quarterfinal round in Indian Wells.

Alexander Blockx, 21, started the tournament ranked No. 69, took out four seeded players with his brawny game and outlasted 19-year-olds Rafael Jódar and Joao Fonseca in the draw to be the last youngster standing before losing to Zverev in the semifinals.

World No. 23 Marta Kostyuk prevailed to win the biggest title of her career against Andreeva in a rare final between two players coached by women, Andreeva’s coach Conchita Martinez and Kostyuk’s coach Sandra Zaniewska.

Marta Kostyuk celebrated her Madrid Open title with a backflip. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)

It wasn’t the final match of the tournament, but Kostyuk pulling off a back handspring after winning the trophy summed up a Madrid Open which could have been a strange let down: It was unexpected, and full of joy.

— Ava Wallace

What now for the wearables arms race in tennis?

A couple of weeks after the news that tennis players can use approved wearables at the three remaining Grand Slams of 2026 on a trial basis, the U.S. Open went a step further.

On Thursday, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced a five-year partnership with Oura, the company known for a ring that tracks metrics like sleep, heart rate, and stress. A news release from the USTA said that Oura would become “an official sponsor and wearable fitness device partner of the U.S. Open, USTA and USTA Coaching.”

Oura rings will be available to every player in the U.S. Open main draws and be integrated across a number of USTA platforms, including coaching programs and internal leagues. Oura will also become a founding partner of the U.S. Open’s Player Performance Center — a new hub for players to assess their health and performance during the tournament which is part of the $800 million renovation of Arthur Ashe Stadium due to be completed in 2027.

At January’s Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were all asked to remove bracelets made by another wearable company, Whoop, ahead of matches. The bands, which track biometric data including heart rate variability, skin temperature and blood oxygen, were not approved by the tournament, despite the men’s and women’s tours and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), whose rulebook the majors follow, permitting them.

The four Grand Slams can individually decide which wearables can and can’t be used, irrespective of the ITF’s list. Tennis Australia did not let players use the Whoop bands, which are on the ITF list; the U.S. Open has approved these Oura rings, but they are not yet on the ITF list. Two people with knowledge on the approvals process, who were not authorized to speak publicly about it because it is confidential, said that Oura is in the process of obtaining ITF approval.

A more liberal approach to wearables will be well received by players after their criticism of the Australian Open’s approach in January. Sabalenka, who is a Whoop ambassador, argued that they should have access to their own health data.

“There is certain data that we would like to track a little bit on court. It’s not for the live thing,” Sinner said at the Australian Open, countering the idea that wearables offer a tactical advantage. “It’s more about what you can see after the match. These are data that we would like to use also in practice sessions.” All of the NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA and professional golf permit wearable technology in some capacity.

In tennis, the information provided by wearables is key for players, coaches and federations like Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association for managing performance aspects such as load management and injury prevention. The USTA hopes the Oura rings will aid elements like training and recovery. During the Australian Open, the Professional Tennis Players’ Association medical director, Dr. Robby Sikka, said that “other major sports leagues have already built thoughtful, evidence-based frameworks for wearable technology” in a text message.

“The NFL allows approved wearables and RFID tracking, the NBA operates a formal wearables committee with full player access to their data, MLB rigorously vets devices, and global soccer leagues have multiple approved systems in place. Tennis should meet that same standard.”

The U.S. Open’s Oura partnership, and the more laissez-faire approach to wearables at this year’s French Open and Wimbledon, suggests tennis is starting to catch up.

— Charlie Eccleshare

Shot of the week

Any one of Hailey Baptiste’s best shots during her win over Aryna Sabalenka could have made the cut, but this drop shot / lob combination to save match point was particularly special:

🏆 The winners of the week

🎾 ATP: 

🏆 Jannik Sinner (1) def. Alexander Zverev (2) 6-1, 6-2 to win the Madrid Open (1,000) in Madrid. It is his fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title.

🎾 WTA:

🏆 Marta Kostyuk (26) def. Mirra Andreeva (9) 6-3, 7-5 to win the Madrid Open (1,000) in Madrid. It her first WTA 1000 title.

📈📉 On the rise / Down the line

📈 Marta Kostyuk moves up eight places from No. 23 to No. 15 after her Madrid Open win.
📈 Alexander Blockx ascends 33 spots from No. 69 to No. 36 after his run to the Madrid Open semifinals.
📈 Hailey Baptiste rises seven spots from No. 32 to No. 25, a new career high.
📈 Arthur Fils rises eight spots from No. 25 to No. 17.

📉 Jack Draper falls 22 places from No. 28 to No. 50.
📉 Donna Vekić drops 23 places from No. 66 to No. 89.
📉 Casper Ruud leaves the top 20, tumbling 10 spots from No. 15 to No. 25.
📉 Emma Navarro leaves the top 30, moving down six spots from No. 28 to No. 34.

📅 Coming up

🎾 ATP 

📍Rome: Italian Open (1,000) featuring Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, João Fonseca, Rafael Jódar.

📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel 💻 Tennis TV

🎾 WTA

📍Rome: Italian Open (1,000) featuring Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff.

📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel

Tell us what you noticed this week in the comments below as the men’s and women’s tours continue.

BOSTON — Perhaps the hitting coaches who got fired last week weren’t the problem.

Through the first seven games after the Red Sox’s coaching purge — which included hitting coach Peter Fatse, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and major-league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin — Boston’s offense is still floundering.

In Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros in 10 innings, the Red Sox left 13 men on base and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Houston’s pitchers have combined for a league-worst 5.75 ERA. In the three-game series at Fenway Park, the Red Sox scraped out just seven runs. They went 3-for-28 with runners in scoring position, stranding 29 baserunners.

Interim manager Chad Tracy looked for a silver lining.

“A ton of opportunities and at-bats with (runners) on,” he said. “The worst case would be you’re not getting the opportunities. We’re getting them. But we’ve got to execute them. And that was a winnable game, obviously. We had a lot of chances for two-out hits, one-out hits, people on, and just couldn’t get it done.”

The Red Sox had runners on base in every inning and left the bases loaded in the 10th when Ceddanne Rafaela grounded into a double play.

There have been some glimpses of good signs in an otherwise miserable start to the year. Marcelo Mayer hit .407 during a nine-game hitting streak that was snapped Saturday and bounced back with another hit Sunday. Jarren Duran clubbed two home runs in three games. Roman Anthony has 13 walks in his past 14 games. But the unit as a whole is too disjointed, something veteran Willson Contreras acknowledged.

“I think it’s really hard, especially if you haven’t gone through a slump before,” Contreras said, referencing the several young players in the lineup. “That’s why I said our preparation or mindset has to be there. You have to find a way to put yourself or your mindset in a good spot and just let it be. Just try to stop seeking results and try to have a good at-bat.”

Tracy does not plan to make any lineup changes and maintains that something’s got to give.

“I think where we’re at, especially the last couple days, with the amount of people we’re getting on base, that it’s functioning,” he said. “We have a lot of runners. Again, like we talked about the other day, you can switch this or that, but we keep getting second and third, bases loaded, first and second. The traffic is there. Just need to breathe as a unit and get a couple big hits there, and hopefully that turns. But we’re getting the people on base that need to get on base.”

It won’t get easier in the upcoming days. The Red Sox head to Detroit on Monday to face reigning American League Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal.

Suarez optimistic about hamstring

In yet another blow to the Red Sox’s pitching depth, starter Ranger Suarez exited Sunday’s game after the fourth inning with a right hamstring strain.

He will stay in Boston for testing and treatment while the team takes a short three-game trip to Detroit. At the moment, he’s not scheduled for an MRI.

Suarez said he first felt hamstring tightness in the second inning, but kept pitching without a problem before it resurfaced after the fourth as he walked slowly back to the dugout.

“On the last pitch of the fourth inning, I felt something in my hamstring. That’s why I left the game,” he said through a team interpreter.

He pitched four scoreless innings Sunday, allowing three hits and a walk, striking out three.

Suarez said he dealt with similar hamstring tightness last April and did not miss a start. He was adamant that this current injury is much less severe than the hamstring injury that forced him to miss three weeks in 2023.

“Yeah, way different,” he said. “This one is nothing like that one.”

Bello’s rotation spot in question

Still, the Red Sox have some other pitching decisions to make in the coming days. Tracy revealed the team is considering whether Bello will make a normal start on Tuesday in Detroit or if they will use an opener ahead of him.

Tracy said using an opener would be contingent upon how much they needed the bullpen on Sunday and Monday. He said Bello would get a bulk of the innings regardless. Given the Red Sox needed six innings from the bullpen Sunday, they will reassess whether an opener still makes sense, or if they will call up a fresh arm for the bullpen.

Part of the idea in using the opener is that the Red Sox could use a lefty reliever in hopes of avoiding some of the Tigers’ hottest left-handed hitters: Kevin McGonigle, Colt Keith and Riley Greene.

“If we do it, (the Tigers) tend to have some lefties up at the top,” Tracy said. “You get some more righties in the lineup, possibly. But it also pushes (Bello) down to where he gets that third time through, maybe it’s in a section of the lineup where you push him through a little bit. The big thing is, if we do that, is it (to) the benefit of the Red Sox and can we help get Bello on track?”

With a 9.12 ERA through six starts, five of which he’s failed to complete five innings, this could be the final straw for Bello, who does have minor-league options.

Tracy said he’s discussed the potential of an opener with Bello, who’s willing to try anything to regain his rhythm.

Tracy managed Bello in his first year at Triple-A Worcester in 2022, shortly before Bello was first called up. He’s watched the pitcher’s evolution from afar, but also knows him personally. Bello did not hide his displeasure during his Wednesday start when Tracy came to take him out after 3 2/3 innings. Tracy didn’t take issue with it.

“Everybody makes the assumption that he’s doing that because the manager is taking him out,” Tracy said. “It’s not always the case. The guy’s been going through it. He’s trying to get himself right. He’s frustrated, and he wants to pitch well. So it’s probably, did he want to come out of the game? No. But I think there’s also a mix. There’s some frustration with himself.”

As for the other two games of the Detroit series, Payton Tolle is scheduled to start on Monday opposite Skubal, while Wednesday’s starter is still to be determined. Sonny Gray is eligible to come off the injury list that day, but “is still checking some boxes,” Tracy said. Gray threw a three-inning live batting practice on Friday and came out of it feeling good, but he has another bullpen session scheduled for Monday.

“See how he comes out of that (bullpen) physically,” Tracy said, “and then we’ll make our decision on that day when it gets closer.”

Left-hander Jake Bennett, coming off a strong start in which he allowed one run over five innings on Friday, is still with the club. If Gray is activated on Wednesday and Suarez avoids the IL, would they keep all six starters? With injuries cropping up among the group and a trio of young lefties in Tolle, Bennett and Connelly Early all used to pitching every six days in Triple A, it could benefit the group.

“We haven’t gotten that far,” Tracy said when asked about a temporary six-man rotation. “Once we cross the bridge of, yeah, OK — if Sonny’s gonna pitch or not — once we cross that bridge and make sure he’s OK, then I’m sure that that topic will come up and we’ll discuss it.”

In other pitching news, reliever Justin Slaten, who’s been on the IL with a right oblique strain, made his first rehab appearance Sunday for Double-A Portland. He pitched one scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out two, and could be activated later this week.

Garrett Crochet began throwing again on Sunday for the first time since he was shut down with shoulder inflammation and fatigue Wednesday. He’ll continue his strengthening program in the coming days.

Story, Rafaela repair things after on-field tiff

In the midst of a frustrating season, emotions have been tested.

With the Astros leading 1-0 and a runner on first base in the fourth inning on Saturday, Jose Altuve hit a fly ball to center over Rafaela’s head. He picked up the ball on a bounce off the wall and fired into second as Altuve tried to advance. But when Trevor Story caught the throw, he failed to make a tag as Altuve slid in safely for a double. Rafaela seemed to throw his hands out in frustration at Story’s lack of a tag.

Ceddanne Rafaela did not look very happy after Trevor Story didn’t make an attempt to get Altuve at second.

Good play by Marcelo saved a run right after. pic.twitter.com/lVYC2JQUlQ

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) May 2, 2026

After the game, Story was asked if he spoke with Rafaela.

“We’ll keep it between us, and that’s what I think good teams do, we’ll handle it,” Story said.

“There’s a human aspect to it and an emotional side to this game with everything that’s going on,” Story added. “And yeah, that’s part of being a professional, you learn ways to handle those things, and I think it’s as simple as that. I think you’re not going to catch me talking bad about any of my teammates.”

Story had a day off Sunday to manage his workload with a tight adductor that’s cropped up a few times early in the season, but Tracy also said he spoke with Story about the play.

“Trev and Rafa are handling that between themselves,” Tracy said. “They’ll be fine. There are things that happen in the course of a 162-game season that, things like that happen, emotions, right? We’re trying to get our team on track. Water under the bridge. Those two will take care of it.”

After dropping a 3-1 series lead, including blowing a 24-point lead at home in Game 6, the Magic will have some tough questions to answer. The immediate speculation will center on Jamahl Mosley’s future as head coach, about which much has been speculated most of the season. But whether or not Orlando makes a change at head coach, its front office has to take a serious look at how it’s constructed the roster, and what changes are possible as the Magic face becoming a second-apron team in 2026-27.

Orlando has to find a point guard. It’s hard not to look at how Jalen Suggs struggled offensively, both as a scorer and distributor, in the face of the Pistons’ withering defensive pressure. Suggs has been the heart of the team, without question, for the last few years. But the Magic’s locked in to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane contractually, at huge numbers – and starting center Wendell Carter, Jr., starts a contract extension next season.

The Magic need someone who can initiate offense besides Banchero, who was again terrific in the playoffs. They need someone to get more open looks for Bane and Wagner and Anthony Black. And Orlando is essentially out of picks until next decade, after sending four unprotected firsts between 2025 and 2030 and a 2029 pick swap to Memphis for Bane, and won’t have access to anything other than the $6.1 million taxpayer mid-level exception to sign free agents. That leaves trading someone from the existing roster as the only real way Orlando can improve the roster.

Suggs’ $150 million extension, which runs through 2030, is a descending contract, falling from next season’s $32.4 million to $26.7 million in the final season. He’s had to deal with injuries throughout his career, but his defensive impact and leadership could be valuable to lots of teams that have another primary ballhandler. That would be a tough needle to thread, but it’s hard to see Orlando running it back roster-wise next season, even if it makes a change on the bench.